- General Office Hours will remain reduced for the week of March 30th – April 3rd, and remain closed for any walk-in traffic. See below for contact information.
- Members continue to post back from postponed and/or completed jobs.
- Emergency call-outs will continue to be dispatched as they occur. Some small job orders may also occur as the trades are considered essential services for the ongoing maintenance and repair of any facilities deemed essential. If you are called by dispatch you will be asked all the questions regarding your health, travel, and personal contact history and you must only accept the job if you are able. You may be asked to have your temperature taken at the gate and complete a COVID-19 health check form before being allowed onsite, and you must be both willing and able to accept the job.
- The Health and Welfare Trustees will be scheduling an emergency conference call to discuss all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it affects our plan and our membership. Any announcements will be made through the Board of Trustees and our administrator, Bilsland Griffith Benefit Administrators.
- There is ongoing discussions between the Canadian Lodges, the Canadian National, and the International Representatives of the Boilermakers regarding many of our member’s questions about union dues, among other topics. We will post any new information here as it becomes available.
- The Union has received confirmation from Energy Safety Canada that the H2S Alive, Confined Space and Fall Arrest tickets that are to expire between January 1st, 2020 and September 1st, 2020 will now remain effective until September 1st, 2020.
- Although the effect on our shop members has been minimal up until recently, they are now being affected and we will provide further information on the shops next week.
- Jordan is visiting the Parkland site today and will try for the Horton-YVR RAM tank site also.
- We will continue to update the membership as needed, and please see the links below for further information, in particular the link on keeping up your mental health in these strange times …stay safe…
Fraternally,
Jordan Streng and Staff
Boilermakers Lodge 359
Helpful Links and announcements:
- Contact 8-1-1 OR your healthcare provider for guidance if symptomatic
- COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool: https://covid19.thrive.health/
- Common Questions about COVID-19:
Website: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/common-questions - Call: 1-888-268-4319 (available 7:30 AM- 8 PM)
Text: (604) 630-0300 - Employment Insurance Information
Website: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei.html
Call: 1-800-206-7218 (available 8:30 AM-4:30 PM) - WorkSafe BC Website: https://www.worksafebc.com/en/about-us/news-events/announcements/2020/March/covid-19-and-the-workplace
- WCB Launches Inspectional Initiative for Construction. Yesterday, the WCB announced they were launching “an inspectional initiative for construction sites. This would include ensuring construction sites are following direction from the Provincial Health Officer and are complying with occupational health and safety requirements.”
- PROTECTING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
These are challenging times, and we urge you to be mindful of your mental health as well as your physical health. As a member of the BC Building Trades, you have access to the Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan, which offers a number of options to keep your mental health in check. CIRP offers long-term counselling to assist members dealing with depression, anxiety, substance use, pain management and other mental health concerns. All services are free, and available via video conferencing during this new working-from-home “normal.”
Visit the CIRP website, email info@constructionrehabplan.com or call 1-888-521-8611 for more information.